Shari Randall's"Pets" will be included in Chesapeake Crimes: Fur, Feathers, and Felonies anthology, which will be published in 2018. In the same anthology "Rasputin," KM Rockwood'sshort story, will also bepublished. Her short story "Goldie" will be published in the Busted anthology, which will be released by Level Best Books on April 25th.

In addition, our prolific KM has had the following shorts published as well: "Making Tracks" in Passport to Murder, Bouchercon anthology, October 2017 and "Turkey Underfoot," appears in the anthology The Killer Wore Cranberry: a Fifth Course of Chaos.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Ten Questions for Katy Leen

Katy
Leen released The First Faux Pas, her
first in series, last year. I found it on Kindle and, after finishing the
book, decided I had to interview Katy. Montreal, a bipolar city of
English and French, complicates the plot. Katy depicted the city's diversity. The blend of those cultures fascinated me. The
series is traditional, and yet there is a little bit for everyone from action
adventure fans to cozy aficionados to the fashion conscious to foodies. Although the cover appears to be "girly," I wouldn't characterize the book as such. Please
welcome Katy Leen to WWK.E. B. Davis

0. Yes, I’m cheating by starting at zero. Be that as it may,
you describe your work as blanc, as opposed to noir. Could you explain that?

First
off, thanks so much for inviting me to WWK. It's a great blog for mystery
lovers of all kinds. As you mentioned, I came up with the name Blanc to
describe the type of mysteries I write in the Lora Weaver series. Most of us
are familiar with Noir Mysteries--dark, moody suspense stories usually with
male, hard-boiled leads who fall for femme fatales who lure them in with their
lustful ways. Well, I thought it was about time we had a term for light, upbeat
mysteries with soft-boiled female leads who fall for hot men who lure them in
with their lustful ways. And I immediately thought Blanc Mysteries. Blanc is
French for white, the obvious complement to Noir, and has the right fun, bright
feel for my series. Plus, I like the way Blanc sounds :)

1. Lora Weaver, your main character, is a risk-taker, which
leads to various problems. Do you admire that trait?

I
admire Lora's kind of risk-taking because it involves a combination of common
sense and faith that good will win out. Fear has become such a fixture in our
society that it's easy to give it too much power in our lives and lets it stop
us from going after what we want. But truth is, it's a choice. Sensible caution
is smart, but overwhelming fear is debilitating. I think there's room for
optimism, and that's what Lora's risk-taking is all about. Sure, it has its
pitfalls now and then, but ultimately it's what makes her succeed.

2. Lora is honest with herself, but not necessarily to her
significant other. Do you think most relationships have duplicity?

Great
question. In real life, I think good relationships depend on honest
communication and duplicity undercuts that. But even in Lora's world, I
wouldn't consider her occasional withholding duplicity exactly. She is honest
in sharing her feelings with her mate, but she's also been trained as a social
worker to follow a code of confidentiality in her work which limits any sharing
of that part of her life. And when it comes to her new profession, that habit
follows her and she exercises it in a way that makes sense to her.

3. How does Lora’s problem lead to her employment?

Lora's
a New Yorker who moves to Montreal and runs into a snag getting a job in her
field as a social worker because fluency in French is one accessory she didn't
pack. Unfortunately for her, French is required for most social service jobs
serving the public. So she takes a job with her best friend's PI agency until
she can get her French up to snuff, but she has a lack of aptitude for languages
that thwarts her plan. This aspect of her personality was actually inspired by
my mother, who despite living in Montreal for a good chunk of her adult life
and taking years of French lessons, still struggles and has yet to even
pronounce Québec properly. But she keeps trying, and we love that :)

domesticmonsters.com

4. Her employers are admirable for different reasons. What
attracts Lora to them?

Lora's employed by Laurent and
Camille Caron, a French brother and sister team. Laurent is an ex-cop with a
healthy dose of ethics and a body sculpted by years of hockey. Camille's a
trained investigator with a martial-arts attitude and a fierce protective
streak. Both value family and have as serious a commitment to play as they have
to work. And Lora finds it all attractive and more than a little intriguing. So
long as one of their admirable qualities doesn't trip up her plans, that is.

5.
As a former social worker, Lora’s priorities aren’t always in her employers’ interests.
How does Lora fulfill both her and her employers’ priorities?

To
Lora, PI work IS social work. And since righting social injustice is part of
her DNA, she makes that her priority, stopping just short of doing anything
that would jeopardize the agency's standing. Then she hopes it sits well with
her employers. It doesn't always work out that way, but that's part of the fun.

6. Lora enjoys her cozy life with her beau, cat and dog, but
she likes her work. What is it about Lora that draws her to the wild side?

Lora
wouldn't see herself as attracted to the wild side. Her determination to help
sometimes causes a blind spot to putting herself in danger, but she'd consider
that as all in the line of duty.

7. When and why did you start writing (mysteries)?

I
can't remember a time when I wasn't into reading and writing. Everything about
storytelling appeals to me, and I enjoy a wide range of stories. But mysteries
in particular were always big in my house when I was growing up--in books and
on TV. I especially liked series like Nancy Drew, The Three Investigators, or
Ellery Queen because I loved connecting to characters that kept coming back.

tourism-montreal.org

The
idea for the Lora Weaver mysteries came to me probably about ten years ago, and
I wrote the first one not long after. The first draft that is. It went through
a few rounds of rewrites before it was ready to publish. My stories are
character driven, but I also love working with the plot structure of mysteries.
And while mysteries can shed light on social issues, for me at their heart
they're a celebration of the triumph of good.

8. What factors made you decide to self-publish?

I
didn't originally set out to self-publish, but the idea grew on me. My hubby
and a good friend of mine had been pushing for it for a while, and then one day
it just clicked. It was the freedom that cinched it. I write to put a little
joy out into the world, and indie publishing offers an accessible route to
distribution without having to meet quotas. I like that I can offer readers
some fun entertainment at an affordable price and control marketing. If readers
discover Lora and enjoy reading her adventures, that's enough for me.

9. How do your characters keep fit with all the chocolate
and pastry eating, and will a future book feature a dentist or a fitness
trainer?

Well,
Camille does martial arts, so that helps. And Lora has tried yoga. As for a
dentist or fitness trainer popping up in later books, I'm keeping my options
open on that. But, really, a little dark chocolate and baguette now and then is
healthy, right?

10. Have you completed
the next book?

I'm
editing the second book in the series now. Then it goes into production for
final edits, proofreading, cover design, and formatting. The story is about Lora's
first foray into undercover work, and it's been really fun to write.

Bonus:

Beach. With a comfy chaise, a
well-stocked e-reader, and a cooler full of tasty snacks and green tea.

Katy’s books are
available on Amazon. Be on the lookout for her next in the series.

11 comments:

I enjoyed the interview. Katy, your novel sounds like just the kind I most enjoy. I like the distinction of "blanc" mystery which sound like a "cozy" except cozies don't seem to include romance which I like mixed with my mysteries. Best of luck with your writing career.

Wonderful interview, Katy. I want to get your book not only because I'm sure I'd enjoy your protag and the plot, but also because after spending some time in Montreal and Quebec on an extended vacation with my siblings this past summer, I want to read a book set in Montreal.

As one of the oldest cities in North America, it's rich in history and has plenty to see. And in the summer there are tonnes of festivals, outdoor concerts, and of course, street artists. All of its charms make it a great place to set a series. Especially mysteries. Kathy Reichs sets some of her books there too, and Louise Penny has a wonderful cozy series set in Québec you could also try.

Warren- I think Québec is a common setting for many Francophone writers and some notable Anglophone ones like Mordecai Richler (whose books have been made into many movies also). But overall, Canadian writers are a diverse bunch who set books all over the country and internationally as well.

Speaking for Montreal in particular, though, it's definitely a city with a robust artistic community and vibe.

Kara- What a coincidence that you have a Quebecoise mother-in-law! That's great. And agree about the joy. The best bit is that I get as much joy writing about Lora as I hope readers get reading about her.

I absolutely adore, Louise Penny, Katy. I can't wait to read her latest book. We did enjoy Montreal and all the things you mentioned, especially the huge botanical garden. We spent a whole long day there. I also bought some art work while there.

Katy--wish I had been able to be more active today--but some days are better than others. Thank you so much for the interview. Good luck with your next-in-series and please come back to visit. Our best--WWK bloggers.

Katy -- I'm late to the party because I was traveling, but I wanted to hop in to say that I really like your concept of a "blanc" novel because of your description of a mystery that celebrates the triumph of good.

Just so you know, I'm going to steal that. I'll give attribution (but only while I remember -- after that I'll probably think I came up with it myself it's so good.)